ICT centre opens new lives for Saraburi youths and adults

Wattasriponua School teacher Jakkrit Khosamut, is in charge of the Tambon Tha Tum ICT community learning centre. He told The Nation that the huge interest among young people in ICT could be seen in the more than 2,500 visitors who had signed the centre’s record book since its establishment in 2013.

Many students were able to develop their skills to the point where they could enter computer competitions. Some won gold medals from a paint-programme contest, while others pocketed silver medals at a presentation programme competition, he said.

The centre also provided training courses for villagers, such as basic computer instruction and other training for office programmes.

However, Jakkrit admitted that maintaining an ICT centre can be tricky. Most support or on-site maintenance services had expired last year, while funding for Internet fees had dried up. Another burden was the cost of replacing broken-computer gear. Other centres had to close down after their computers were stolen, he said.

Jakkrit recalled that before the ICT centre was established 85 schoolchildren had to share hardware at a ratio of three students per computer. 

As two students had to watch while one classmate used the computer, it was no surprise many lost interest in such courses.

The Ministry of Science and Technology set up this centre two years ago to give the local community access to computers. Wattasriponua School was selected to be in charge of it as part of the ministry’s scheme in 2007 to set up 2,000 ICT centres nationwide.

Jakkrit spoke last Saturday during a media visit for the “Intel Easy Step” training course at the centre. In this programme by Intel Microelectronics (Thailand), 16 locals were taught computer basics for a day, after which they demonstrated their newly learned skills to the community.

Chanpong Wattanamuka, a 35-year-old local Chinese banquet business owner, told The Nation he had learned about a computer years ago, but had forgotten most of what he learnt. He joined a basic workshop in which he learned how to make brochures and business cards. He said after that he would compose his own menu of delicious dishes and attach a business card to it. 

Narong Panjanukul, a 40-year-old Tha Tum Disaster Prevention and Mitigation volunteer, said it was his first computer course. The knowledge would come in handy, he said, as motorists passing through the area on a shortcut to Nakhon Ratchasima to avoid the often congested Mittraphap Highway, often ask for directions. “Now, I can use the skills I learnt today to make my own map and hand it out to travellers,” he said.